Hontou no Tsuyosa
by Scion-XT
Summary: Forte, Rock and Blues travel away from their homes, meeting up with others who face the same problems and despairs and a strong bond is formed between them, making them worthy enemies for the new enemy who threatens their families.
1. Hontou no Tsuyosa Opening Theme

Hontou no Tsuyosa Opening Theme:  
  
Going History  
  
From: The Slayers  
  
[On the first beat, a picture of Tokyo from above appears.  
  
On the second beat, picture of Rock standing, his fists clutched tightly and burning ruble surrounding him as he glares past the camera, a ball of fire surrounding his left fist.  
  
On the third beat, a girl who looks like a lavender haired Roll from Rock Man Dash in a navy blue shirt and shorts with purple trim and elbow length gloves turns to face the camera, her blue eyes shining as the background turns pink and white and she smiles and throws a ball of water at the screen.  
  
On the fourth beat, Forte stands across from Rock in the same background as in the first scene, a sword made out of fire clutched tightly in his hand.  
  
On the fifth beat, a red haired and a blond haired teen stand beside Blues and Forte, who are standing atop a tall building, staring at the city below them.]  
  
Dareka o kizutsukete ubatta koi na no ni  
  
Hantoshi mo tatanai uchi ni ai no kakera mo kieta  
  
Ochikonda tsuka no ma mata, koi o shita kedo  
  
[Forte, the red haired and blond teens stand atop a building, smug smirks on the red haired teen and Forte's faces, while the blond looks a little worried, but determined.]  
  
Ai ja nai, sekishisa o umeru koibito toiu ROZARI o  
  
Hito ha doushite KISS o shitagaru no  
  
[Elec Man and Fire Man throw their attacks at the screen, engulfing it.]  
  
Hito ha doushite futari de nemuru no  
  
[Rock jumps from the top of a building and charges his Mega-Buster, firing at an unseen enemy once it is fully charged.]  
  
We can We can any time  
  
Maji ka wakaranai kokoro, nani mo iwanai  
  
[Blues fires his Blues-Buster rapidly at an unseen enemy, a tense and angered look on his face.]  
  
Kurushii hodo setsunai hodo  
  
Suki na HITO ni aitai  
  
[The lavender haired girl pulls out a Plasma Pistol and stands, holding the gun over her head a she winks at the camera, the background turning light blue as the name, Ari Light appears behind her in purple letters, a ball of water above each of the 'I's and a transparent picture of Dr. Light, Rock, Roll and Blues appears behind her.]  
  
Machi ga umare kawaru kurai  
  
Itoshii HITO ni aitai  
  
[The blond teenager whips out a Armor Summoner and presses the button, yellow and orange armor much like Rock Man X's appearing on his body before he fires a charged shot from his Arm-Cannon, the background turning platinum yellow as the name, Shock Man Wily appears behind him in orange letters, a bolt of lightning in place of the 'I' in Wily, transparent pictures of Elec Man, Quick Man and Fire Man appearing behind him.]  
  
Soshite itsuka furi kaereba  
  
Natsukashii omoide o  
  
[The red haired teen whips out his own Armor Summoner and presses the button, his red armor that is much like his blond friend's appearing on him as the background turns red and the name, Torch Man Wily appears behind him in blue letters, a small pillar of fire where the 'I' should've been, transparent pictures of Fire Man, Metal Man and Magnet Man appearing behind him.]  
  
Atsuku kataru jibun ni naru tame  
  
Aruku yo History  
  
[Forte steps between the lavender haired girl and the camera, his F-Buster pointed past the camera as he unleashes a string of plasma shots.]  
  
Denwa sae nara nai kyuujitsu no heya ni ha  
  
Yari sugoshita yume ga tada yoko ni yori sotteiru  
  
Kodoku o kanjiteru kokoro o uchi keshite  
  
[Blues and Rock sandwich Guts Man between themselves, Blues shooting Guts Man with a ball of earth while Rock hits him with a ball of lightning, the explosion engulfing the screen.]  
  
BEDDO ni soberi konde ha asaga kuru no o matta  
  
Yume ha doushite tooku he nigeru no  
  
Yume ha doushite tanin no mono na no  
  
[Ari, Rock, Shock Man, Forte, Blues and Torch Man are surrounded by Robot Masters, Wily standing on his ship, laughing insanely, their weapons ready, including Forte's flame sword.]  
  
We can We can any time  
  
Maji ni naketekuru asu mo nani mo mienai  
  
[Turbo Forte yells in anger and fires rapidly at a robotic dragon, tears streaming down his cheeks.]  
  
Mabushii hodo tsuranuku hodo  
  
Muchuu na yume mitsuketai  
  
Toki ga hayaku sugiru kurai  
  
[Elec Man, Fire Man, Quick Man, Gemini Man, Metal man, Crash Man and Magnet Man stand on the edge of a cliff, the sun setting in the background and a light wind playing with their hair.]  
  
Tanoshii yume mitsuketai  
  
Soshite itsuka furi kaereba  
  
Natsukashii omoide o  
  
[Blues kicks Cuts Man in the face, following up with a shot from his Blues- Buster.]  
  
Atsuku kataru jibun ni naru tame  
  
Aruku yo History  
  
[Rock stands on top of Rush Jet, a small smile on his face as Torch stands behind him on Rush Jet, his eyes just about taking over his face as he hugs Rock's shoulders, screaming when Rush Jet shoots toward the camera.]  
  
Kurushii hodo setsunai hodo  
  
Suki na HITO ni aitai  
  
[Blues and Shock Man stand in the middle of Light's living room, grinning stupidly and sweat dropping, rubbing the backs of their heads nervously.]  
  
Machi ga umare kawaru kurai  
  
Itoshii HITO ni aitai  
  
[Forte stands atop of Gospel Jet, holding Ari, who is looking panicked and is hugging his neck, peeking over her arm with a slight blush in her cheeks as Forte smirks down at her.]  
  
Mabushii hodo tsuranuku hodo  
  
Muchuu na yume mitsuketai  
  
[Rock and Rush stand against a black background, a smile on Rock's face.]  
  
Toki ga hayaku sugiru kurai  
  
Tanoshii yume mitsuketai  
  
[Forte and Gospel appear beside him, smirks on their faces. Rock looks over at them, surprised, but recovers, smiling and turning his attention back to the camera.]  
  
Soshite itsuka furi kaereba  
  
Natsukashii omoide o  
  
[Blues and Shock Man appear on the other side of Rock, smirking at the Blue Bomber, who smiles back at them, casting a quick glance to them from the corner of his eye.]  
  
Atsuku kataru jibun ni naru tame  
  
Aruku yo History  
  
[Torch appears behind Rock, who looks over his shoulder and gives Torch a bright smile, and Ari appears beside Forte, who casts a quick glance and a smile in her direction. Elec Man, Fire Man, Quick Man, Metal Man, Magnet Man, Gemini Man and Crash Man appear behind the rest of the group, Elec Man and Fire Man laying a hand on Shock and Torch's shoulder's. A transparent picture of a woman's face appears above them, her purple hair covering her eyes.  
  
The music ends as the words, Hontou no Tsuyosa appear above the group in gold letters before the group disappears and the title takes over the screen, the background black and light glinting off the title before the screen fades completely to black.] 


	2. Kuroi Tsuki

"The loss of a friend and an enemy, along with the gaining of new friends and a new enemy. Despair is deeper then skin and thicker then blood, tainting the hands of those who clam the lives of the innocent as their own." –Imp-Chan  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
Kuroi Tsuki  
  
Rock Man Light, the savor of the planet more times then anyone can count, sighed softly as he stared out his bedroom window, pressing his forehead against the cool glass, which fogged when his breath hit the window. The night sky was like a black velvet cloak with small pinpoints of light that were the stars.  
  
He half smiled. He liked looking up at the sky at night, sometimes even sitting on the roof to watch them and see how many he can count before he falls asleep. He never got past 30, though.  
  
Ever since Wily's demise last year, nothing interesting had happened. Blues had finally come home, but never stayed longer then a week, but that was more then enough time for Rock to catch up with his brother and learn what he had been doing for the past year.  
  
Blues was there now, sound asleep on the top bunk of his brother's bed, his helmet still on and his bright yellow trademark scarf draped lazily over the handrail that was on the side of the bed to keep people from falling off while they slept. A small smile was on his face a he slept, making Rock envy him, for he could no longer sleep well. Something was coming, but he could not figure out what it was.  
  
Blues had confessed to him that he felt it too, the feeling of dread, but told him to ignore it, which is what he tried to do, but he was always faced with nightmares of blood and death, making him wake up screaming, cold sweat rolling down his face and back, making his blue night shirt stick to his back.  
  
He wondered if Blues had those dreams too, he doubted it, though. Of course, it was always hard to tell what his brother was thinking because of the black visor that was attached to his helmet.  
  
Rock smiled slightly. His brother was just about surgically attached to that thing. It was heck trying to get him to take it off, usually resulting in someone getting knocked out. And was never Blues.  
  
Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, making him look up. Roll smiled slightly as she said softly, "Rock, it's past midnight."  
  
"Guess I lost track of time. Thanks for reminding me, Roll. Night." He gave his sister a hug and small kiss on the forehead before laying his head back onto his sky-blue pillow and closing his eyes, shutting down for the night.  
  
Roll smiled down at her brother's sleeping face and left the room, closing the door softly behind her so as not to wake her brothers from their sleep.  
  
----Meanwhile  
  
Forte sat up quickly, his shoulders heaving as sweat poured down his face and back, his eyes wide. "It…it was only a dream…" he said softly, placing a hand on his forehead and closing his eyes as he tried to regain his nerves and cease his violent shaking.  
  
Gospel looked up at his master, a tired and worried look in his blue eyes. Forte smiled slightly and pat his friend on the head before turning and setting his bare feet on the cold metal floor. "Its okay, boy. I'm fine." He said soothingly as he stood and tugged off the damp tee shirt.  
  
Gospel jumped off the bed and followed his master, sitting outside the bathroom door as he waited patiently for the purple haired robot to come out.  
  
Forte rested his sweat-covered hands on the basin as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His pale face was drenched in sweat and his lavender eyes were dilated slightly, making him want to hit himself. That same nightmare…again…he thought, turning on the water facet and cupping his hands underneath the cool water before splashing some on his face. When will they end?  
  
- - - - -Dream- - - - -  
  
Forte stood in the middle of Tokyo, his ebony armor gleaming in the blood red light of the moon, his mouth a gape slight and his amber eyes wide. Before him is a ruined city, corpses of what he thought used to be humans and other robots.  
  
A soft whimper sounded from behind him. Turning, he saw more of the ruined city and corpses. But what made his heart clench was the mangled form what looked to be Gospel.  
  
"GOSPEL!!!" He screamed, running over to his friend's side. Kneeling beside the robotic wolf, he found that he was far too late to save his friend. Blackish-red fluids fell steadily onto the ground and Forte's lap when he lifted his friend's head.  
  
Choking back a sob, he hugged the retired wolf close to him, rubbing his cheek against the cool metal on Gospel's mane. Tears rolled steadily down his cheeks, down the purple face stripes that graced his pale cheeks as he sobbed, "Gospel…No, GOSPEL!!!"  
  
- - - - -End Dream- - - - -  
  
Forte shuddered. That dream was much to life-like for comfort and every time he woke up, he'd check to make sure Gospel was still there. He frowned and glared at himself. "Its just a @#!^ dream…why the h*** does it effect me like this?" he muttered darkly, shutting off the water and exiting the room, grabbing a white tee shirt from the chair by his desk as he walked by.  
  
Sitting down on the edge of the bed as he tugged the shirt over his head, he sighed, running his hand along the smooth metal of Gospel's head, smiling slightly when Gospel tilted his head upwards slightly and grinned.  
  
After a minute, he flopped back onto the bed and pulled the blanket up to his stomach, placing his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling, trying to go back to sleep. No such luck, for five minutes later, he was standing and changing into his regular cloths; A loose fitting black jacket with the sleeves cut off just before the shoulders, a black shirt that was tucked into the black pants.  
  
Grabbing his Armor Summoner and slapping the so-called 'watch' onto his wrist, he started toward the door of his small apartment, Gospel at his heels.  
  
Looking down at the dog, he shook his head. "Sorry, boy. But you gotta stay here. I'll bring you back somethin', 'kay?" With that, he opened the door and exited the room, snatching his keys off the coat-rack on the way out.  
  
This, unfortunately, was the beginning of Forte's problems.  
  
----Meanwhile  
  
A blond haired robot sat beside his friend, a silver robotic wolf, as he said softly, shaking like a leaf, "T-that dream…the same one…Silver Fang…what…what does it mean?" This young robot is none other then Shock Man, Elec Man's little brother and one of Forte's three friends.  
  
Elec Man walked over to his brother and asked, sitting down beside him and laying a hand gently on his shoulder, "What dream?"  
  
Shock Man looked up at his brother and stuttered, his pale face ghostly white, "I…I've been having…nightmares…you and Fire Man…dead…"  
  
Elec Man gave his brother a worried look, but said softly, a small smile on his face, "It was just a dream. Nothing to worry about."  
  
"I…I know…but…they just seem so…" he searched for the right word. "Real."  
  
The tall ex-Robot Master nodded slowly, knowing what was wrong, but unwilling to tell just yet. "I see…" was all he said, the small smile never leaving his face.  
  
Standing, he said, ruffling his little brother's hair, "Go back to sleep, Electro. I'm sure you won't have the same dream twice in a row." The name, 'Electro' earned him an annoyed, but glad look from the younger blond.  
  
Exiting the room, Fire Man came out of his room and asked softly, "I'm guessing they've started?" His answer was a slight nod. Fire Man sighed and ran his fingers through his messy red hair then rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…guessing its time?" Again, another nod.  
  
Elec Man looked over his shoulder at his brother's room and walked back toward it, opening it silently as he peeked inside. Shock Man was sound asleep, his chest rising and falling with each of his steady breaths.  
  
A single tear fell from his eye as he walked in, sitting down beside his human-like brother. Sighing, he ran his fingers through Shock's messy blond hair and whispered, choking back tears, "Good bye, brother…"  
  
With that said, he planted a small kiss on his little brother's forehead before standing and leaving the room, casting a short glance back before finally closing the door softly.  
  
Fire Man smiled sadly at his friend and whispered, laying a hand on his shoulder as Elec Man sobbed quietly into his hands, "I know it's hard. But we'll only be standing in the way if we stay. Its for the best."  
  
Elec Man wiped his tears away with the back of his hand as he stated softly, "But…Electro is still young…he's barely even a year old…"  
  
"Torch is dependable. He'll watch over him for you. I promise. He's always treated Shock like a brother. He'll take good care of him. Alright, koibito?"  
  
Elec Man nodded, following Fire Man toward the door. "Right…I guess…" he murmured as Fire Man peeked into his won brother's room to make sure that he was asleep and not eavesdropping. Fire Man chuckled at the sight that greeted him.  
  
Torch Man was tangled up un the blankets, on arm draped lazily over his eyes and his mouth hanging open as he snored softly, clutching his helmet close to his chest a he groaned, rolling over, "I'll get up in a minute, mom…"  
  
"He asleep?" Elec Man asked softly, tapping the fiery haired ex-Robot Master on the shoulder. Fire Man chuckled softly, closing the door gently behind him.  
  
"Ooooooh yeah. Like a burnt out light." With that, he walked toward the door, grabbing his Armor Summorer and tossing Elec Man's to his friend as he opened it, walking out into the brisk night air, the blond Robot Master following.  
  
----Later  
  
Forte walked through Tokyo's semi-busy streets, chewing slowly on a glazed donut from the pastry shop that was only a block away from his apartment.  
  
Popping the last two inches of the donut into his mouth and wiping his hands on his shirt then brushing off the crumbles, he thought, Man…those dreams have been getting WAY to realistic for my liking…wonder why? Maybe Wily programmed a virus into my system the last time we met…after a moment, he smirked at the ridiculous thought. Heh. That was over a year ago. I doubt it would just now start working. So what IS the…he stopped dead in his tracks and looked up at the sky.  
  
The sky was now starting to get the glow that he recognized a morning, but something was wrong with this sunrise.  
  
Looking around, he soon realized that he was the only one who aw the strange glow that graced the sky with a purple that was as deep a his own purple face stripes. "What the h***?" he murmured, his lavender eyes narrowing slightly and his mouth slight a gape.  
  
Suddenly, the purple light pulsed and exploded, rocking the ground. Forte heard some humans scream as they tried to regain their balance. "Whoa!" Forte grasped the windowpane of a shop, struggling to regain his own footing on the wildly bucking ground.  
  
The pulsing purple light in the sky condensed then shot toward the ground. "C***!!!" Forte yelled, throwing himself to the ground and covering his head with his arms.  
  
The strange light struck the ground, sending a wave of dark purple, almost black, energy throughout the city and, even then, it continued to shot outwards, engulfing the country of Japan in a blanket of destruction.  
  
Forte sat up once the ground had stopped moving and the screams of terror were silenced. As soon as he sat up and started brushing debris off of him, he gasped, his eyes widening, "Wha-what the…?!"  
  
  
  
  
  
~*Kuroi Tsuki; Dark Moon –Fushigi Yugi 


	3. Confusion

"Even on this rotten earth (it is dying), day is the sun's light (full of deception), night is the moon and stars (foolish struggle). The means of the humans' last struggle." – Moon Sailor ~*Darkness is Beautiful  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
Confusion  
  
Forte gaped at the sight that greeted his lavender eyes. The buildings were crumbling, making the whole city look as though it had been sitting here, rotting, for over hundred years. Cars were crushed almost as though Godzilla had been there. People were lying, dead, in pools of their own blood or blackish-red fluids, some without body parts which were found several feet away from the bodies. The sky was no longer the pale, beautiful blue it had been moments before, but was now dark gray, thunder rumbling in the distance.  
  
The blood that carpeted the ground made his stomach churn in distaste and he was almost sure that he would toss up his donut and coffee. But, luckily, he managed to suppress the urge to vomit and settled for asking to the air, "What…what the h*** happened?"  
  
"The Dark Moon Lord." Someone spoke, making Forte jump to his feet and look around for the source of the voice. Amusement and calmness was present in the speaker's, who was obviously male, voice that seemed to come nowhere and yet everywhere.  
  
"Where are you?! Who are you?! And who is the Dark Moon Lord?!" Forte yelled, his lavender eyes searching for something, anything to show where this mysterious person was.  
  
"Yare, yare…So many questions, yet none I can answer…what a shame." The speaker said, sounding a bit disappointed.  
  
"Stop speaking in riddles and give me godd*** straight answer!!"  
  
"Sorry. No can do. Must keep up with the, 'mysterious voice that annoys and helps the hero' cliché. Oops! I'm late for my dinner with Sheba. Must go. see you, Forte. Hope you don't hurt yourself trying to figure out who the Dark Moon Lord is. Now, for the riddle:  
  
The blood red moon,  
  
Shall shine bright soon,  
  
Two other Heroes shall thee find,  
  
Near two old friends hearts  
  
Hurry! Hurry! The Dark One comes to  
  
Claim their souls for her own!"  
  
With that, the voice faded, leaving Forte to mull over the strange voice.  
  
'Two other Heroes shall thee find, near two old friends hearts'…Who are these 'two other heroes'? He thought, trying to ignore the stench of the already rotting corpses that lay about the city streets.  
  
Finally, after several minutes of muttering darkly and walking slowly, taking in all the destruction that greeted him at every turn and stop, he stopped and looked up at the building before him and frowned slightly, his lavender eyes locking onto the blond figure standing in the window of the apartment.  
  
He walked up the stairs, readying his Armor Summoner just in case as he reached the top and slowly edged the door open.  
  
Stepping inside, he saw the apartment was, just like the rest of the city, in ruins, but yet he heard life. The sound of a young boy's sobs reached his ears as he walked slowly and quietly down the hall.  
  
Slowly opening the door to the end bedroom, he saw a blond haired boy appearing to be no more then 13 sitting by the window, a red haired boy, also looking to be 13, sitting beside him, crooning to his friend softly.  
  
"Electro?" Forte asked softly, shocked at seeing the usually cheerful and optimistic Robot Master in such distress. The blond stiffened and sat up, looking over his shoulder at the purple haired robot.  
  
Lavender eyes met blue eyes as Shock Man asked softly, his voice shaking as he wiped his tears away with the back of his hand, "F-Forte?" The black clad robot nodded slowly and walked over, kneeling beside his friend, who flung himself against his friend and sobbed into his shirt, "M- my brother…and…Fire Man…T-they left us here…a-alone…why? Did I d-do something wrong? Did I make them m-mad at me?"  
  
Forte, taken back by the questions, answered, "No. Elec Man and Fire Man would never abandon you two…they care more about you then you could ever imagine."  
  
He remembered what had happened the first time Shock Man and Torch Man had gotten into a fight with Guts Man. Elec Man and Fire Man had found out and had almost been dismantled for just about tearing Guts Man to pieces for trying to hurt their brothers. Shock had obviously forgotten, or his memory had been erased, and was blaming himself for their disappearance.  
  
Torch Man sighed, laying a hand gently on his friend's shoulder in hopes of comforting him.  
  
Forte hugged his friend's brother and crooned softly, "I'm sure they didn't leave you two on purpose…"  
  
Shock Man sniffled and looked up at his friend as he stammered, "R- really…?" His answer was a slight nod. "Then…why'd they leave?" To this question, Forte had no answer and merely gave his friend a slight shrug and a sympathetic look. This answer made Shock Man cry all the harder, earning Forte a annoyed look from Torch Man.  
  
After a minute or so, Shock had stopped crying and was sitting beside Forte, Silver Fang, his silver and robotic wolf, resting his head on his master's lap, looking up at the young Robot Master with his bright green eyes.  
  
Suddenly, a thought dawned onto Forte that almost made his scream. "GOSPLE!" Jumping to his feet, he, followed closely by the two young robots who grabbed up their Armor Summoners on the way out, raced out the door and jumped over the railing, landing neatly on his feet as he ran, recalling his armor as he activated DASH Function to give him extra speed.  
  
Shock and Torch also jumped over the railing, summoning their own armors before they hit the ground and DASHing after Forte.  
  
Shock's armor was a lot like Rock Man X's, only with different shades of orange. His helmet was black with a lightning bolt on it, much like his brothers. Torch's was the same, only decorated with several shades of red, his helmet much like Quick Man's.  
  
----Meanwhile…  
  
Elec Man and Fire Man walked through the streets of Tokyo, their gazes on the ground, and the silence between them not been broken since they had left their brothers. Elec Man looked up at Fire Man and asked, "What if Shock thinks that we abandoned them?"  
  
"Torch'll talk some sense—"  
  
"What if Torch thinks that we abandoned them? And What if that b****, Dark Moon Lord, finds them and…and…" he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, for the thought of his brother going insane made him shiver as though he were standing in the middle of a blizzard.  
  
Fire Man spoke after a minute or so a silence. "Nothing will happen to them…" he said softly, wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulders in a comforting manor.  
  
----Meanwhile…  
  
Rock stared in horror at the fallen heap of twisted metal and crumbling concert as he gasped, "What…?" his voice failed him and he just stood, his mouth slightly a gape as he tried to figure out what had happened. Blues looked over at his brother through his black visor, his arms hanging limp at his sides and pain shining in his eyes from behind his helmet's visor.  
  
Rock sunk to the ground, pounding the already crumbling ground with his unarmored fist, the Armor Summoner rattling as he yelled, tears streaming down his face, "Why? Why couldn't I help them!?"  
  
Blues grabbed his brother and shook him as he snapped, "Rock!! Get a grip!! This isn't your fault!!" Slowly, Rock ceased his sobbing and settled for crying softly into his brother's shirt. "Its okay…" Blues whispered, hugging his brother tightly.  
  
Suddenly, Rock whispered, pulling away, "Something…is coming…" Blues nodded slowly.  
  
"I feel it too…what is it?"  
  
"I bet its…what destroyed our home…our family…" Rock whispered, his voice laced with anger, which was either directed to himself or to whatever this strange power was beyond Blues' comprehension.  
  
Blues let out a shuddering sigh, clenching his fists tightly. Whatever this thing is…I'm gonna make sure that it doesn't live to see the light of day…he mentally growled, standing.  
  
Rock stood as well and asked, "Wait…what about Ari? She was staying with Dr. Cossack…I hope their okay…" Blues nodded slightly. Ari was their newest sister and the one who spent most of her time reading up on mythical animals, D&D books and other things that the rest of her family thought was junk. But she was also a new model Dr. Light had been working on. She not only acted human but she looked human. And the fact that she was the first of her kind is what made Blues and Rock a little overprotective of her, for Dr. Wily had tried to kidnap her several times, so you can imagine their uneasiness when they had to send her to live with Dr. Cossack.  
  
Blues didn't say anything except, "Its getting closer…I think…we should go and try to find the source of it…" Turning on his heel, he walked away, Rock following at his heels.  
  
~*Confusion: Slayers NEXT 


	4. Extreme Tension

|"If given a second, anyone can give up and run. So just keep on | |walking. There's something only you can do so that this blue planet | |doesn't lose it's light." –Digimon ~*Brave Heart | | |  
  
Chapter 3:  
  
Extreme Tension  
  
The two robots had been walking for three hours, searching for any sign of life and attempting to keep their supper in check when they saw the condition of the city and its people.  
  
Just when the silence was beginning to become unbearable, Rock's wrist communicator blared to life, making the blue clad robot jump and yelp in surprise. But his sudden fright was soon to be replaced by a much larger shock. Rock lifted the communicator and just about choked. "Q-Quick Man?!" he yelped as his arm was yanked over by Blues as the red and gray clad robot said something about wanting to make sure Rock wasn't imagining things.  
  
"Well, I'll be d***ed…" Blues muttered when he saw the face on the small screen.  
  
Quick Man looked different then usual, now clothed in a dark orange tee shirt that was covered in dirt, blackish-red fluids and ash, black smudges on his cheeks and forehead. His bright green eyes were wide as the ex-Robot Master asked, "Blues? Rock? That you?" His answer was a nod from both robots. Sighing in relief, he said, "Thank Ra!"  
  
"Ra? The Egyptian Sun God?" Blues asked, raising an eyebrow from under his helmet's visor. His answer was a slightly embarrassed nod.  
  
"Anyways…Look, Crash Man and I find a girl claiming she's your sister. She's badly damaged and we just got the @#!^ing s*** beat out of us by something that looks like it belongs in some sort of Sci-Fi movie. Hey!!" Quick Man's face vanished from the screen as his communicator was yanked away and a new, yet familiar, face greeted them.  
  
This one was clad in a dark red shirt and an even darker shade of red was the color of his messed hair that fell over one silver eye. He, too, was covered in blackish-red fluids, dirt and ash. "Rock? Blues? Look, I know we've had our differences and all, but…right now…we really need the help. So, if you could," he paused for a moment before yelling, making Quick Man, who was in the background, sweat drop, "GET YOUR SORRY A**ES OVER TO DR. COSSACK'S Lab,"  
  
"Or at least what's left of it…" Quick Man added, earning himself a glare that could freeze Ice Man.  
  
"…BEFORE WE BECOME ROBOT FOOD!! Crash Man and Quick Man out!!" Crash Man snapped, putting Quick Man in a headlock that would put Lina Inverse to shame.  
  
The screen went blank as Quick Man said, "Aaa! Leggo!! I may be a robot, but I still need to breathe!!"  
  
Rock and Blues looked at each other, neither one sure whether or not to go help the ex-Robot Masters. After a minute or so, Rock started forward, making Blues stop him and ask, "And where the h*** are you going?"  
  
"I'm gonna help them. Maybe they've changed…for the better." Rock answered, shrugging his brother's hand away and continuing to walk, ignoring the dark muttering he had earned himself due to his need to help someone no matter who it was.  
  
Several minutes passed before they saw any sign of life. And, even then, the creature they saw was not alive, but a mere shell of metal and wire, its red eyes flashing as it tore at the corpse of a human, ignore the red ooze that streamed down its large mechanical saws and dripped onto the ground.  
  
It was huge, standing about twelve feet tall and ten feet wide. It's head was like that of a mechanical dragon's skull, its body was like that of a hunched over titanium covered dinosaur and two ten-foot-long Plasma Cannons rested on its shoulders.  
  
Rock and Blues gaped at the creature, fighting down their lunch as they did so. Suddenly, Rock asked softly, "What…d-do we do?" This, unfortunately, caught the robot's attention.  
  
It raised its head and sniffed the air, turning to look at Rock and Blues, tossing aside what was left of the human aside and advancing toward the two robots, who readied their Arm-Cannons as the mechanical beast neared them, its heavy footfalls causing the ground to shutter. It leaned forward and sniffed at them, almost as if it were trying to decide whether or not to eat them. The two Light robots prayed it was latter.  
  
Once it had decided, it tilted its head upwards and let out a roar that sounded much like a Raptor's before lowering its head and again and charging up its shoulder cannons.  
  
"Run!!!" Blues yelled, grabbing Rock's wrist and dragging him toward the safety of the side of a crumbling building and ducking behind a slightly crushed car. The blast went off and twin beams of purple energy shot past them, burning everything in its path before the attack came to a stop at the Tokyo Radio Tower, sending up the smell of burning flesh and metal into the air.  
  
Rock gagged and pressed the button on his wrist, recalling his armor as he spoke into the microphone in his Armor Summoner, "C-can anybody hear me? Please! If anyone is there, please hurry to Main street. Hurry!! We've got an…*hack*…insane robot here."  
  
"A big insane robot…" Blues added, firing off several rounds from his Arm-Cannon once he had recalled his own armor.  
  
"…Please hurry!!" Rock yelled before closing the transmission and firing charged round after charged round from his Arm-Cannon at the oncoming robot.  
  
Their attacks did little to the robot other then make it agitated and fire more frequently as it tried to retire the two robots.  
  
Blues jumped out of the way of the robot's claws for the tenth time and returned fire, wishing that he had some of the upgrades that Dr. Light had made for him and Rock.  
  
Rock jumped over the lashing robot's long mechanical tail and landed safely several feet away, once again bombarding the strange robot with the yellow spheres of plasma. Suddenly, a yell reached his ears and he turned just in time to see Blues get blasted backwards by the robot's five-foot- long titanium claws. "Blues!!" Rock yelled, running toward his brother only to get slapped away by the mechanical tail of the attacking robot.  
  
"BLUES!!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~*Extreme Tension: Slayers 


	5. Push It

Part 2  
  
"If you make even one meeting wrong, then even the feelings of love become thorns. The pain I submerged deep in my heart screamed and was revived. Sometimes I try to blame myself, saying, "Why did I do that?" Sometimes I ask my friend, saying, "But why?"" – Aoki Kuumiko ~*Water-Mirror (Fushigi Yugi)  
  
Chapter 4:  
  
Push It  
  
"C-can anybody hear me? Please! If anyone is there, please hurry to Main street. Hurry!! We've got an…*hack*…insane robot here." Someone yelled through Forte's Armor Summoner's communicator. He looked up from his frantic search through his apartment and listened with mild interest to the message.  
  
"A big insane robot…" someone added.  
  
"…Please hurry!!" the first person yelled. Then the transmission ended.  
  
He made a soft, 'hmm' sound as he straightened and, after grabbing up his jacket, said, "Well kids, looks like the two nimrods, Blues and Rock, need our help. Wanna come?"  
  
"I thought you hated Rock-san?" Shock Man asked, peeking out from the kitchen.  
  
"Whose to say that I don't want to be the one who sends that little punk to the big scrap yard in the sky?" Forte said, grinning as he exited the apartment in hopes that maybe his hated rival found Gospel.  
  
Shock Man and Torch Man looked at each other and shrugged before they followed their friend and, for now, guardian.  
  
----Meanwhile…  
  
The room was dark, no, black. No light could escape this room; no light could enter this room either. A person sits upon a ebony throne, her hair shielding her eyes from view as she pets the demonic cat that sat on her lap, staring at the sphere of dark-light before her, allowing her to see Forte, Shock Man and Torch Man as the three ran down the street, summoning their armors as they did so. The woman cursed.  
  
"Blast it…that boy has already found the warriors of Light and is on his way to find the two Warriors of Earth…" She murmurs, her harsh tone startling her cat, which meowed loudly, casting a disapproving glare to its owner before it lays its head back down, its gold-green eyes watching Forte with great interest its tail flicking back and forth.  
  
"Well, I better slow them down a bit…" She waves her hand and a pair of glowing red eyes peered from the darkness and a mechanical Dragon slides free from the shadows, glowing with its own dark light.  
  
"You called…?" the dragon asks, its voice revealing it as a female.  
  
"Yes I did, Dragu. I have a little task for you…" The mechanical dragon smirks, glowing brightly as her master tells her this.  
  
"I shall not fail you, Master Dark Moon…" the dragon hisses before disappearing back into the shadows.  
  
----Meanwhile…  
  
Forte, now attired in his ebony armor, DASHed down the street, Shock Man, Torch Man and Silver Fang at his heels.  
  
Suddenly, he skidded to a stop and looked around, his hand forming his Arm-Cannon as he murmured, "This isn't good…"  
  
Shock Man stopped beside his friend and asked in his girlish voice, "What isn't good, Forte?" The older bioroid pointed to the sign beside them. "Huh? But…This can't be Main Street!" He looked like he was about to panic. "Isn't this the place where Rock-san and Blues-san were?"  
  
"This is where they should be…it was only five minutes ago that we got that transmission…" Forte growled, taking slow, cautious steps into the street, passing by pools of blood and carnage, all of it from either robots or humans. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he stepped in a dark pool of blood. Sighing in annoyance, he continued to walk, not caring whether or not Shock Man and Torch Man followed.  
  
He paused and listened, his mouth dropping slightly as he listens. A song reaches his ears, calling to him like a siren's melody. He starts to take a step, but stopped and growled, "D***it…I am not falling for something that is obviously a trap…" but yet he takes another step until he is running toward the music, ignoring the protests his mind yelled as well as the yells of his friends.  
  
He came to a stop before a crumbling building, his gaze shifting from the doors to the top of a crumbling statuette. A young girl, probably no more then 17, sat upon it, her mouth moving as she sung softly a melody that captured Forte.  
  
She suddenly stopped singing and looked down at Forte, a small smile on her lips as she jumped down, landing gracefully on her feet, her armored boots clanging dimly against the ground as she said, "Hello. I've been expecting you."  
  
Forte took a step back, unsure of what to do. He opened his mouth to say something obnoxious, but all that came out was, "Huh?"  
  
The girl giggled and stepped forward, smiling as Forte took yet another step back. "Scared that I might hurt you, Forte?"  
  
"How do you know my name?!" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. He mentally slapped himself for letting that happen.  
  
The girl stopped advancing and said, "I know more about you then you yourself." Forte shook his head.  
  
"No way!" he snapped, glaring at the strange girl, whom he had never seen until then. The girl giggled again and tweaked his nose, making Forte blink. He was used to people screaming in terror when he glared at them and here someone was staring up at him and giggling. "What's so d*** funny?" he asked, his face twisting in annoyance.  
  
The girl smiled. "I was just wondering how your creator couldn't tell you about your true power…"  
  
Forte blinked again as he asked, "What do you mean?"  
  
The girl grabbed his hand and dragged him toward a particularly deep pool of blood and said, pushing him to his hands and knees so that he was staring into the puddle, "What do you see?"  
  
Forte, clearly disgusted, growled, trying to stand, "Nothing but my reflection." He yelped as he was suddenly pushed down again, this time into the puddle. He sat up, coughing and spitting up the blood he had almost swallowed. "Are you out of your @#!^ mind?!" he yelled, shaking his head to remove the blood from his helmet as he tried to wipe the rest of blood from his armor.  
  
The girl smiled again and wrapped her arms around his neck, putting all her weight onto Forte's back as she said, pushing Forte face first into the blood and holding his head under it, "No. I'm just showing you what your destiny is…"  
  
Forte gagged as the blood rushed into his mouth and down his throat as he fought futilely against the girl's grip. D***!! This kid's stronger then I am!! He thought as he attempted to roll over, only to get his face pressed deeper into the ground. D-d***…he could almost feel his Energy Core being clogged by the sticky human fluids.  
  
"Hey! Get off of him!!" Someone, Torch Man, yelled as he struggled to pull the girl off of his friend before he was retired. Torch Man was thrown into the side of the building with a sharp yelp of surprise.  
  
The girl howled, "Fireball!!" Forte heard Shock Man's scream of pain, followed shortly by a loud crashing noise and metal hitting cement.  
  
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a struggle and the weight was lifted from him, allowing him to sit up and breathe as he coughed up as much blood as he could, throwing up the rest.  
  
He felt a hand on his shoulder as someone said, "Hey, Forte! Are you okay?!" Forte didn't answer, simply coughed and gagged on the red gunk. The owner of the voice scowled and yelled, grabbing someone, "What did you do to him, you b****?!"  
  
Someone, the girl, said calmly, "Simply teaching him a lesson."  
  
Forte shakily wiped his eyes with the back of his hand as he gasped, his body shaking violently from the convulsions, "W-who…?"  
  
Another person spoke up. "Forte! Buddy, you okay?" The speaker knelt beside the ebony attired bioroid and touched his shoulder gently. Forte looked up and just about fainted.  
  
"M-Metal Man?" Forte gasped upon seeing the ex-Robot Master. Metal Man grinned and nodded.  
  
Forte looked the Robot Master over, noticing that the smaller Robot Master was out of his armor. Metal Man was wearing a red tee shirt with a picture of a saw-blade on it and a pair of silver gloves, one with the fingers cut off and the other one intact. His red shirt and black pants were covered in dirt, blood and dust, as was his pale skin. His deep red hair spilled into his face, allowing people to only see a little bit of his bright green eyes.  
  
The older Robot Master smiled and said, helping Forte to a standing position, not moving until Forte's legs weren't quite so shaky and he was able to stand on his own, "Are you okay?" Forte nodded slowly, still unsure of what was going on.  
  
Looking over to his right, he saw Magnet Man shaking the girl like a rag doll, an anime vain popping on his forehead. "Magnet Man?"  
  
The red clad Robot Master looked over at Forte and said, giving a little wave before returning to shaking the girl, "Hey, Forte! Long time, no see!"  
  
Once everyone was back to their feet, they waited for Magnet Man to stop shaking the girl, whose eyes were little spirals by now, so they could ask her some questions. Magnet Man reluctantly complied and threw the girl to the side, waking her up none too gently. "Wakey, wakey, you little turd." Magnet Man growled, kicking the female robot hard in the side.  
  
The girl yelped and sat up, rubbing her side as she said, "That wasn't very nice."  
  
"Well, neither is you trying to drown our friend." Metal Man growled, pushing the girl back down when she tried to stand. The girl glared at him, but he either didn't notice, or he didn't give a d***. Either way, he delivered his own glare to her and asked, "Now, we want answers. Why did you do that to Forte?"  
  
The girl didn't answer until Magnet Man's Arm-Cannon was put in her face and the trigger-happy bioroid snarled, "Care to push your luck, girl?"  
  
She slowly shook her head, her eyes never leaving the Arm-Cannon as she answered Metal Man's question reluctantly. "I was merely doing what my Master told me to."  
  
"Your Master told you to drown Forte like a rat?" Torch Man asked, sounding angry as he, too, pointed his Arm-Cannon at the girl's face. Shock Man simply leaned on the metal rod he had found, unwilling to resort to violence unless he needed to.  
  
Before the girl could answer, they heard someone yell, "BLUES!" The five robots looked at each other, then in the direction the scream had come from.  
  
"Sounds like Rock…" Torch Man said, not waiting for a reply before DASHing off to help. Shock Man quickly followed, taking the metal rod with him as he activated his DASH Boots and raced after his friend. Forte swore.  
  
"D***it!" With that, he stood and ran after the two 'children' Magnet Man and Metal Man dragging the female robot with them as they ran after their friends.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~*Push It: Garbage 


	6. Gun Shot

"You are sickened by the weakness of a heart that's filled with fear and if the world won't understand you, you can make it disappear. 'Cause there's a dark secret. Carry with you…Carry with you. And deep inside, the way you hate them on the outside, doesn't show and oh, they think that they defy you. They are slaved to what you know…" -- Matthew Sweet ~*Dark Secret  
  
Chapter 5:  
  
Gun Shot  
  
Elec Man and Fire Man had been walking for a good hour, neither one breaking the ear pounding silence that had hung between them since they had left their brothers' behind.  
  
Finally, Elec Man asked, his voice soft, "When…when will we go back…to them?" Fire Man shrugged, unsure of how he was going to answer his friend's question.  
  
"I dunno…" he answered, ending the conversation as abruptly as it had started. Elec Man lowered his gaze to the ground and said nothing, letting the silence hang between them as it once had only moments before.  
  
Suddenly, Fire Man's Armor Summoner's communicator sprang to life, making the two Robot Masters jump in surprise. "C-can anybody hear me? Please! If anyone is there, please hurry to Main street. Hurry!! We've got an…*hack*…insane robot here." Someone said, Rock by the sound of it.  
  
"A big insane robot…" Someone else added, Blues.  
  
"…Please hurry!!" Spoke Rock's voice again as the signal turned to static, followed by silence.  
  
The two Robot Masters looked at each other, Fire Man's AS, then back to each other before the blond robot said, "Lets go!" Fire Man nodded and DASHed after his friend.  
  
Several moments later, they skidded to a stop and summoned their armors, readying their Arm-Cannons as they saw three figures limber from the shadows. At first, the two Robot Masters thought they were humans, but they soon realized that these creatures were not. Their flesh was rotting and blood dripped from various wounds. The skin on they're bodies was hanging off them like linen on a mummy.  
  
"Wha-what are those things?!" Elec Man asked shakily, too shook up to even aim his Arm-Cannon at the creatures.  
  
Fire Man shook his head and took a step back, "I…dunno…" He narrowed his eyes and pointed his Arm-Cannon at one of the monsters and fired. His aim was true and the bolt of plasma sliced through the creature's ribcage, but the creature either didn't feel it or ignored it, for it simply stumbled back a few steps before continuing to advance, lagging behind its two companions because of its injury.  
  
Fire Man gasped. "What the h*** are these things?!" he yelled, firing another round at the creature. Elec Man didn't answer, simply fired round after round at the monstrosities.  
  
"I don't know! Thunder Beam!" Elec Man pointed his hands at the zombie that was closest to him as he yelled out his attack. Electricity crackled around his hands before shooting outwards and striking the monster. The zombie staggered back and fell, twitching for several moments before standing once again, limbering toward Elec Man once again.  
  
"Fire Storm!" Fire Man glowed with a bright red aura as he raised his hand to the sky. After a moment of concentrating, he pointed his hand at the zombies. Silence reigned for several seconds before it was broken by fire falling from the sky, striking the zombies and the broken, dirt ground.  
  
The zombies were struck, their tattered clothing and flesh catching quickly, but they didn't seem to notice, for they simply kept coming at the two Robot Masters, who backed away from them, stopping when they felt the side of a building against their backs.  
  
"D***it! How are we gonna stop these things?!" Elec Man yelled, shooting the zombies again with his Thunder Beam attack.  
  
Fire Man closed his eyes and raised his hands toward the sky, the red aura returning as he whispered something incoherent. Fire began gathering in his hands, the orange and red flame growing with each word uttered by its caster. After a moment, he yelled, his eyes snapping open and fire shining in his green eyes, "Holy Flame!" he threw the fist-sized ball of fire at the nearest zombie, the sphere striking its target.  
  
The creature howled in pain before collapsing. Fire Man smirked and turned his gaze from the smoldering creature to the remaining two. "So…these creatures are zombies…"  
  
"Huh?" Elec Man gave his friend a questioning look.  
  
"Zombies…that's why our attacks haven't done anything to them and why my Holy Flame did." Fire Man answered, charging up another Holy Flame attack.  
  
Elec Man smirked and nodded, closing his eyes and lacing his fingers, his index fingers pointing upwards as a bright yellow aura surrounded him, sparking from his body as he chanted a spell, the electricity gathering at the tips of his index fingers. "Holy Bolt!" The bolt white lightning shot from his fingers and smashing into the second zombie, the creature flying backwards with a inhumanly cry of pain as it fell to the ground, twitching madly with the electricity that still lingered.  
  
The last one noticed its two slain allies and turned as it tried to scamper off. Fire Man wasn't about to let it escape and get reinforcements. "Oh, no you don't. Holy Flame!" That zombie soon joined its cohorts in the underworld as it was burned to a cinder.  
  
The two Robot Masters sighed in relief. "Well…that was easier then I thought it'd be…" Elec Man said, grinning. His grin faded as the ground trembled and a loud inhumanly roar ripped through the air. They turned and gaped. Their eyes traveled up the length of the new monstrosity. It was pure black and over twenty-feet tall. Its eyes were like white fire and burned into the two Robot Masters souls.  
  
"Oh nnnnoooooooooo!" The two moaned before DASHing off as fast as they could, not about to even attempt to take on this creature.  
  
They ran until their DASH Boots needed to recharge. They sunk to the ground and attempted to catch their breath. "What…was…that…thing?!" Elec Man panted.  
  
Fire Man shook his head and gasped, "No…clue…"  
  
"Whoa, what happened to you two?" someone asked from behind them. They looked up and over their shoulders and nearly fell over.  
  
"Gemini Man?!" they yelped in union. Gemini Man smiled and waved stupidly.  
  
The Robot Master before them wasn't in his armor, now clad in a white shirt and a pair of faded jeans. His silvery hair tumbled to the base of his neck, a few strands of it falling into his bright blue eyes. His Armor Summoner adorned his wrist, the silver of it metal the same shade as his hair.  
  
"Yep. That's my name. Don't wear it out!" the Robot Master said jokingly before a serious look crossed his face. "But, seriously, what were you two running from?"  
  
His two friends soon started talking at once, but he seemed to understand what they were saying. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he muttered, "Um…" Once the two Robot Masters had quieted down, Gemini Man spoke. "Sounds to me like you ran into a Nightwalker…"  
  
"A what?" his friends yelped. They had heard stories from Crystal Man about those creatures, but they always thought the crystal ball-crazed Robot Master had a screw loose. Gemini Man was the only one who had actually taken his tales seriously.  
  
"Yep. A Nightwalker. The only way to beat those things are Holy spells, and even then, those only do mediocre damage to it. So, your best bet is to run and hope it doesn't follow." A worried look crossed his face. "It…didn't, did it?" The loud roar was all he needed. "R-RUN for it!"  
  
"AAAA!" The three screamed as they ran away from the monster of darkness, Elec Man crying along the way.  
  
"I dun wanna be retired! I'm to young and promising to be retired so early!!" he sobbed as they ran.  
  
"Oh, shut up!" Gemini Man yelled, glancing back at the Nightwalker from over his shoulder. "Awk! It's gaining on us!! Put some steam into it, you two!"  
  
"We are! We are!" the two other Robot Masters yelled as they and their friend picked up speed, ironically heading toward where Rock and Blues were fighting the mechanical beast.  
  
  
  
  
  
~*Gun Shot: The Belinda Chaire - Growing up Naked 


	7. Freedom Fighter

"Not every day is sunny, so sometimes, even though a cold rain is falling, just open your umbrella. There's no map of how to live, that's why we're free. You can go anywhere." –Digimon ~*Brave Heart  
  
Chapter 6:  
  
Freedom Fighter  
  
Rock ran over to Blues' side, helping his brother to his feet as said, "Blues! Are you okay?"  
  
"Who…hit me?" The red and gray clad robot asked hotly, rubbing his still helmeted head tenderly. Rock pointed to the mechanical beast, which roared again and lunged. The two brothers screamed and jumped out of the way, rolling and landing on their knees.  
  
Rock charged up his Arm-Cannon and fired, Blues doing the same. This only proved to make the mechanical monstrosity irritated.  
  
Rock yelped as he was thrown backwards by the powerful claw of the monster, landing in the side of a building, creating a nice-sized hole as he landed, the chunks of cement acting as a stiff bed for the now unconscious Blue Bomber.  
  
Blues fired charged rounds as often as he could, jumping to avoid the monster's made attacks and tail. "Holy c***!" Blues cursed, jumping out of the way of his enemy's tail. "Doesn't this guy get tired?!"  
  
A plasma powered boomerang shot past his head and struck the motorized brute, whipping around in a curved arch and whizzing past Blues' head again as it returned to its master.  
  
Quick Man jumped from the building, landing gracefully on the ground beside Blues, clad in his armor, the helmet having been discarded since his escape, allowing his muddled dark orange, almost red, hair to show. He winked and asked, "Need some help?"  
  
"Hey! What about me?!" Someone else yelled from the same building, the owner of the voice jumping down and doing a flip in mid air. The armored robot landed on one knee and one hand, a smirk on his face as he stood and placed one hand on his hip. Crash Man's smirk widened as he and Quick Man DASHed in opposite directions, both firing off their own attacks at the mechanical beast.  
  
"Here you go, you over grown scrap yard-reject!" Crash Man yelled, throwing a fist-sized bomb at the monster, jumping away before the bomb could explode in his face.  
  
"That's it, Crash. Get him even more agitated." Quick Man said as he threw his boomerang, which he called 'Shikito'.  
  
"Like that's gonna make him wanna sit down and have tea." Crash Man shot back.  
  
Blues was in shock. This is interesting…he thought as he watched the two Robot Masters distract the mechanical monster. Quick Man's shout snapped him back into reality. "Hey, Blues! Are you going to stand there like a statue or help us beat this thing?!"  
  
Blues shook his head and ran into the fray, firing off plasma rounds at random as he jumped over and rolled out of the way the creature's assaults.  
  
Rock groaned and slowly opened his eyes, sitting up as he rubbed the dirt out of his blue eyes. "What the?" he watched as Blues, Quick Man and Crash Man attacked the strange motorized dinosaur…thing. Finally, he stood and fired charged rounds as quickly as he could, hoping that he didn't accidentally hit one of his allies.  
  
The creature was thoroughly p***ed as of now. It roared and lashed out at Quick Man with his tail. Quick Man jumped over the tail, only to get back handed by a gigantic claw, sending him flying into the street, landing heavily on his back with a loud 'thud'.  
  
The orange clad Robot Master groaned and laid on the ground for a good five minutes, just trying to regain his breath. "Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow…" he whined, sitting up and rubbing his back tenderly. "You're getting the whole enchilada this time, you mechanical piece of junk…" he growled, standing and holding his arms in front of him, his palms facing the mechanical monster, who stared stupidly at him.  
  
He closed his eyes and, after a moment, yelled, holding one hand above his head before punching the ground, "Earthquake!" For a few seconds, there was silence and then slowly, the ground began to crack. Quick man smirked, as did Crash Man. Blues and Rock were just trying to figure out what was happening.  
  
Suddenly, the ground shook and with a loud crushing noise, split apart, startling the monster and the two Light robots. The creature sunk into the ground and tipped to the side slightly as it roared in surprise.  
  
Crash Man punched the air and grinned. Quick Man smirked and readied his boomerang and mentally chanted a spell. Just as he was about to let Shikito loose, he stopped when he heard someone screaming. "Nani?" He questioned, turning to the source of the screams.  
  
Three robots, two in armor, one in regular cloths, tore down the street, a twenty-foot tall monster after them. Everyone recognized them immediately. "Elec Man? Fire Man? Gemini Man?!" the four robots said in union, their tones showing their surprise.  
  
The three other Robot Masters were screaming and running, but the creature had already left them be. They stopped only when they crashed into Crash Man and Blues, knocking them flat.  
  
Gemini Man was the first to recover, standing and dusting himself off, glancing over his shoulder nervously as he spoke, Elec Man and Fire Man standing and helping Blues and Crash Man to their feet. "Sorry 'bout that. We weren't watching where we were going like we should have."  
  
Blues gratefully took Elec Man's extended hand and was pulled to his feet. "It's okay…just watch it next time, Gemini Man." He turned his attention back to the struggling mechanical monster as Rock ran up beside him.  
  
Rock looked at his brother and asked, "Now what do we do? Even charged shots don't do anything to his armor!"  
  
Blues made a veg 'um' sound and thought. "No clue…Even Quick Man's Boomerang didn't do anything…" A thought dawned on him. "Quick, how'd you do that Earthquake thing? I thought your only attack was Quick Boomerangs?" Rock nodded.  
  
Quick Man glared at the mechanical monster as he answered. "I'll…tell you guys later when we have more time." He pointed at the monster, which began to claw its way out of the hole.  
  
Suddenly, a barrage of mini-missiles came from out of nowhere; striking the creature and knocking it back into the hole. Everyone turned their attention to the shadows, where they saw five armored figures DASH out, their weapons pointing at the creature.  
  
The one in yellow armor jumped into the air and twirled a long metal rod in his hand before stabbing it into the joint of the mechanical monster's neck as he yelled, "Electro Shocker!"  
  
The creature roared as electricity sparked from Shock Man's hands and traveled down the rod, the thousand-volt shock wave of electricity slicing through its body. It flailed his arms and tail, struggling to hit the attacking Robot Master.  
  
Forte ran at the creature, a stream of plasma firing from his Arm- Cannon. A smirk crossed his face as Shock Man continued to send the electrical currants through the monster's body. "Eat plasma, you d*** monster!" he yelled, firing into the creature's open mouth.  
  
The other seven robots gaped as Magnet Man, Metal Man and Torch Man also attacked. Blues shook his head and said, "Okay! This is giving me a headache! Just how many of your people escaped Wily?!"  
  
Rock ignored his brother's question and gasped, his eyes widening. "Shock Man? Here? Alive?!"  
  
"This is it." Elec Man answered Blues' question. "Electro!" he yelled as his brother was thrown off the flailing monster and smashed into a building, slumping to the ground. Blues and Rock looked at each other then Elec Man as the Robot Master ran toward the fallen one.  
  
"'Electro'?" they questioned.  
  
Quick Man nodded. "That's what we call Shock Man."  
  
"Oh…"  
  
Blues growled and DASHed at the thrashing mechanical beast as he said, "You guys can sit there like babies, but I'm going to help these guys!" Rock, Quick Man and Crash Man followed suit, their weapons ready.  
  
"Quick Boomerang!" Shikito flew, the titanium alloy slicing into the trashing beast and returning to its master, who fired several plasma shots from his Arm-Cannon, each shot hitting the wound he had inflicted.  
  
"Crash Bombs!" Crash Man did the same, the Crash Bombs hitting the wounds inflicted by both Quick Man and Shock Man, following up with plasma shots from his own arm-mounted cannon.  
  
Torch Man glowed bright red as he yelled, holding his hands out toward the screaming mechanical monster. "Nova…" a ball of white flame gathered in his hands, as he concentrated on the attack. "Force!" The attack was fired and burned into the wounds, making the creature's already loud roar rise.  
  
Forte skipped the fancy attacks and simply fired off a stream of plasma, pausing only long enough for him to regain some energy to attack with.  
  
Elec Man was to busy tending to his brother, who groaned, smiling slightly, "B-Big…Brother…" Shock Man then went out, letting his Auto-Repair systems go to work on repairing the damage he had sustained in the past five hours.  
  
Elec Man stood and turned to the screaming monster and glared. Electricity sparked around his body as he growled, "Nobody hurts my brother and lives to tell about it." A ball of electricity gathered in his hand, which he held out to the monster. "Out of the way, you guys." He yelled. His friends obeyed and quickly jumped out of the way of the attack Elec Man was about to unleash. "Thunder…" the energy sphere grew in size. "Beam!" The sphere of energy shot outwards and through the thick titanium armor like paper, silencing the mechanical creature's agonized scream.  
  
The beam of electricity slowly vanished, Elec Man dropping to his hands and knees, trembling violently from the amount of energy he lost during the attack, which he strengthened by adding energy from his own Energy Coil.  
  
Rock gulped and quickly turned away, his stomach churning as blackish red fluids spilled from the now retired mechanical monster's chest plate. "Eww…" he grumbled, not daring to say anything else for fear of losing his supper.  
  
Forte grimaced and spat, "Well…like I really needed to see that happen…" he turned to the others and ran over to Elec Man.  
  
The Robot Master smiled weakly, looking up at Forte as he said equally as weakly, "I-I'm okay…J-just…a little l-low on…energy…is a-all…"  
  
Forte nodded before helping his friend back to the others, watching as Quick Man ran over to Shock Man and lifted him into his arms, carrying the younger Robot Master back to the others as well.  
  
Rock gulped and asked softly as Quick Man set Shock Man down against a building, pressing the button on the young Robot Master's gauntlet, "I- is…he gonna be okay?"  
  
"Why's it concern you?" Crash Man asked hotly. Rock trembled slightly and answered.  
  
"He's…m-my friend t-to, you know." Crash Man looked a little surprised.  
  
"He is?" Rock's answer was a slight nod. "Huh. So that's why Electro was always…" the glare he received from Elec Man told him that the two Light robots didn't need to know. Crash Man quickly closed his mouth, not wanting to incite Shock Man's brother anymore then he already had. Rock gave them both a questioning look, but decided not to pry.  
  
Blues spoke up after a second. "So…why is it we're the only ones left alive?"  
  
All the Robot Masters looked at each, then to Forte, Blues, Rock and Torch Man, then to Shock Man, who groaned softly and slowly opened his eyes, blinking up at his friends in confusion.  
  
"Wha-what h-happened?" he mumbled, reaching up and rubbing his head, his dusty blond hair falling into his eyes.  
  
"I think…you all ought to sit down for this…" Quick Man said.  
  
  
  
~*Freedom Fighter: Creed 


	8. Liberi Fatali

"Shadows of dark creatures, steel clouds floating in the air, people run for shelter. What's gonna happen to us!? All the steps we take, all the moves we make, all the pain at stake, I see the chaos for everyone who are we. What can we do? You and I are same in the way that we have our own styles that we won't change. Yours is filled with evil and mine's not. There is no way I can lose." ~*Sonic Adventure  
  
Chapter 7:  
  
Liberi Fatali  
  
Once everyone was sitting down, Quick Man spoke, "This may sound crazy, but all of us aren't normal robots." This earned him looks of confusion from the five robots that didn't know about their true power. "What I mean is…" Quick Man took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he tried to find the right words. "We, you five included, can use magic."  
  
"Magic?" Forte asked, deactivating his armor, which was replaced by the black cloths he was wearing before. "What do you think this is? Some kind of fantasy novel?"  
  
Gemini Man nodded. "Forte, Rock, Blues, Flare Man, Electro…we're not lying." Torch Man stiffened. He hadn't been called Flare Man for a long time.  
  
"F-Flare Man?" Torch Man asked, blinking. "I haven't been called that for sometime now…" he smirked as he remembered his real name. He had been dubbed Torch Man because he looked somewhat like the original Torch Man.  
  
Forte blinked. "I didn't know your real name was Flare Man…" he grumbled, annoyed with the fact that he didn't even know his friend's real name. Flare Man grinned.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that. Should've told you." The red haired Robot Master grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.  
  
Quick Man continued. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth." Rock shook his head. This was all too hard to swallow. "Haven't you all had something happen when you did something, and it wasn't…normal?"  
  
Forte looked at the ground, not speaking for several minutes. Finally, he said, looking back up at Quick Man, "Well…maybe…there was one time that…something happened and I didn't…know how to explain it…You remember that, right, Electro?" Shock Man nodded.  
  
Forte then told them what he meant. "Once…when I was training, Electro came in. He looked like he had been burned and beaten," Elec Man clutched his fists in anger that bubbled forth again from its place in the back of his mind. "When he told me what had happened, I was p***ed beyond belief and yelled without even realizing it, 'fireball'. And, as soon as the word left my mouth, Electro froze and his eyes were about the size of dinner-plates. I turned and saw the dummy I had been practicing on had been burned to a cinder."  
  
Quick Man nodded. "Its little things like that that signify you as a Sorcerer."  
  
Before he could continue, someone, a female by the sound of it, yelled, "Hey! Has everybody forgotten about me?!"  
  
Quick Man and Crash Man sweat dropped. "Oops. Looks like we forgot that other Light 'bot." Crash Man said, standing. "I'll go get her." With that, he DASHed off, returning a few minutes later with a girl who looked like a lavender haired version of Roll from Megaman Legends. Her shorts and shirt were purple as were her boots and elbow-length gloved. Resting on her head was a purple hat and in her belt was a Plasma Pistol.  
  
Rock and Blues stood and hugged her as Rock said, smiling brightly, "Ari! Your alive!"  
  
Ari hugged her brothers and nodded. "I'm glad you two are okay! Where's Roll and Dr. Light? And Rush?" Rock's smile faded as he answered softly.  
  
"Their…gone…something…took them away…" Ari lowered her gaze to the ground and sniffled.  
  
After a second, she brightened and said, looking determined, "Don't worry! We'll find them in no time flat!"  
  
Forte stared up at Ari, who hadn't even noticed him or the other Robot Masters, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape. Flare Man grinned and elbowed Fire Man lightly, pointing to Forte once he had gotten his brother's attention. The fiery Robot Master grinned back and snickered.  
  
Ari finally noticed Forte and asked, blinking at him as a confused look crossed her face, "Um…who are you?"  
  
Rock introduced everyone, pointing to each one in turn. Ari smiled sweetly and shook everybody's hands, not noticing Forte's slight stuttering as he said, '"Um…H-hi…"  
  
He scolded himself mentally, frowning. D***it! Why the h*** am I so nervous?! She's Rock's sister! She's a Light 'bot! She's…he went on like this for a good ten minutes, completely ignoring everybody as he mentally raged on.  
  
That is, until he realized that Shock Man was waving his hand in front of his face, looking concerned. Forte sweat dropped and quickly said, glancing over at Ari, who giggled, "Um…get on with this crazy explanation before I get bored."  
  
Quick Man again nodded and continued as Ari settled down between Blues and Rock. "Well, as I was saying, every one of you,"  
  
"Including us." Fire Man said.  
  
"Are magic users and have been put into several different classes. Forte, you're a Sorcerer. A Sorcerer is someone who uses all types of magic, mostly Black, but can use others.  
  
Electro, you're a Lightning Knight. A Lightning Knight is a special type of Mage who can bend the element of electricity to your will. Elec Man is the same.  
  
Flare Man, you're a Pyro-Spark. Pyro-Sparks are experts in fire type spells. Your brother, Fire Man, is the same as well.  
  
Rock, you are a Reinstate, a special type of Healer who can only use White magic and some small Elemental type, mostly Water and Earth types.  
  
Blues, you're a Water Knight. A Water Knight is someone who serves the Water Serpent. They use mostly Water based spells but can use other ones as well, including Black.  
  
Ari, you're a Song Caster. A Song Caster is someone who can cast spells using a song. They use all types, but cannot use Black Magic, for it 'taints their souls'. I honestly never believed in that myth, so, no worries. Crystal Man is a good example of a Song Caster who used Black Magic and didn't go psycho."  
  
Everyone was quiet, the Robot Masters watching the six other robots. Forte was the first to speak, looking annoyed yet sounded skeptical. "Okay then. If we can use magic, why didn't we know about it?"  
  
Metal Man spoke up. "Because. Wily and Light didn't want their most prized robots to know about it, Forte, Shock Man and Flare Man for fear of them rebelling against Wily sooner, Rock, Blues and Ari because Light was afraid they might misuse their gifts."  
  
Forte opened his mouth to say something, but simply close it again, his statement lost and his head hurting.  
  
Shock Man looked up at Magnet Man, the one closest to him, and asked, "What does Dark Moon Lord want with us?" Magnet Man almost choked as he gawked at the young Robot Master.  
  
"How…do you know about her?!" he choked, blinking. Shock Man shrugged slowly.  
  
"I…had a dream about her…" he answered innocently. "She was very pretty, but I got a bad feeling around her. She was pretty, but scary too."  
  
Elec Man looked panicked as he heard about his brother's dreams. Flare Man, Forte, Ari, Rock and Blues looked at each other and blinked. Flare Man said, after getting confirmations from the other four, "We've had the same dream."  
  
The seven Robot Masters looked at each other and Elec Man said, burying his head in his hands, "No…why'd she target them?"  
  
"Whadoya mean?" Forte asked, a feeling of dread appearing in the pit of his stomach. Crash Man spoke up.  
  
"Well…it seems that Dark Moon Lord is after us and you guys now." He said.  
  
"Oh, great. So your saying, we're on some lady's hit list because we know you people?!" Blues asked, glaring from behind his sunglasses. The Robot Masters nodded in union, making the six other magic users sigh.  
  
Forte said, looking thoroughly peeved, "So in order to get us, she's kidnapped everyone we cared about, right?" Quick Man nodded sadly. "D***…That means she has Gospel…"  
  
"And Roll and Dr. Light…" Rock whispered, Flare Man patting the Blue Bomber gently on the back.  
  
"And Silver Fang…he disappeared shortly after we left the apartment…I hope she doesn't hurt him or the others…"  
  
"Oh, she will. She will. If she wants us bad enough, she'll do whatever it takes, be it driving them mad and forcing you guys to come for revenge, torturing them or simply dismantling them." Quick Man said sadly. Shock Man whimpered and fought back tears as he thought of his best friend getting torn apart. Elec Man hugged his brother, who whimpered.  
  
"W-Will we find her before s-she does that to them?" Shock Man asked, looking up at his brother, who nodded and smiled weakly.  
  
"Yeah. We'll find her, bro." The blond Robot Master said.  
  
Forte clutched his fists and stood as he said, "Well? What are we waiting for? Christmas? Lets go find her and kick her a** so hard she'll kiss Pluto!"  
  
The others stood as well and Gemini Man said, "Right! Lets split up. We can radio back to everyone if we find her lair. Okay?"  
  
"Sure thing, Freddy." Blues said sarcastically. But in reality, he was all for the idea.  
  
"…Magnet Man, Metal Man and Ari will go with Forte." Quick Man said, the people mentioned walking over to stand in a small cluster away from everybody else. "Flare Man, Rock and Fire Man will go with Crash Man." They grouped together, standing away from the others.  
  
"Gemini Man, Blues and Shock Man will go with Elec Man and myself. Everybody ready?" Everybody nodded. "Good. Now, lets go!"  
  
The three groups then walked off in three separate directions, all hoping that their friends will be safe and unharmed.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~* Liberi Fatali/Fateful Children: Final Fantasy VIII 


End file.
